Hello! I know that I have been out of fanfiction in a very, very long time. And yes I have a very good reason as to why I have kept you hanging as to the conclusion of this story. You see, I have already written several chapters for this story, yes, granted they were not yet edited and proofed read, but at least I have the gist of the story. Then something happened to my laptop, and boom all my saved stories were not salvaged. And there, I was depressed and then lost my will to write. And now, slowly by slowly I am gaining my love for writing again. I hope that it will be enough for you to understand my abandonment of this story for a certain period of time. But thank you so much for the several people who have urged me to continue this. It really means a lot to me especially during those harrowing times of self-doubt. And yes I am being over dramatic here. And so, here's the long awaited chapter 7. Do enjoy.

CHAPTER 7

Mikoto was on her way to check upon the lady, who had stirred the palace into a frenzy of gossips, for simply catching the interest of her youngest son, Sasuke. And this is quite a feat, for to gather her finicky sons' interests especially that of her wayward Sasuke is surmountable to impossible. Yet, the impossible is happening, hence, the appearance of this lady.

Furthermore her sources told her that Sasuke placed the said lady in his own quarters. Thereby, said act further ignited the assertions of many, that this lady is surely someone who has suddenly became important to her son. And truly for such thing to occur is seriously a very rare phenomenon.

And to appease her curiosity, she immediately went to her.

There she saw her bathing at the marble pool of perfumed water with the aid of the servant she had sent to assist her.

Looking about her, she realized why her son, would be enchanted by this lady. The gossips were undeniably true. She is beyond beautiful; in fact, far beautiful from what she was told. If anything, the descriptions given to her about this damsel's appearance were underestimated.

Her pink hair was clearly peculiar but for its oddity, it enhances her beautiful face. Her eyes, a vivid emerald, rival the greens of the hills and mountains of the Fire Kingdom during the spring. And with what she had just observed, she can't help but deduced of what beautiful children she can give Sasuke if they were to be united in matrimony. Oh the wonder of wonders.

But as a mother who dearly loves her sons, it is apparently her duty to check the credibility of any woman her sons fancy with. No she is not meddling, she is just concerned for her sons welfare and well being especially Sasuke. Surely, any mother who intervenes in her sons' matters of heart would be forgiven for meddling if that can even be called as meddling. She is just doing this out of love.

So she must be assured of this female first if indeed she is worthy of her beloved son, if she is to play matchmaker. Yes, outer beauty is one thing, but it is not enough. It is most definitely not enough for her. Henceforth she is here to find out the depth of this girl's character. Neither can she tolerate any female who is lacking of intelligence. Females of this kind will just bore Sasuke easily. Nor would she approve of some opportunistic woman who has come to take advantage of what her son has to offer, which is most certainly a lot, in terms of worldly possession, status and power.

She must look through this girl's character first for Sasuke's sake, to protect him from any future heartache. Especially now, after he has suffered tremendously. It is true, that her son has indeed changed after the tragedy that has befallen him. He was indeed a very different man from what he used too. But there is no doubt that her son is still a good man, and that he deserves a good and loving woman who will give him happiness.

And that is what Mikoto is doing right now. There is no one in this world that can stop a determined mother who is out on a quest to look after her son's happiness. And hereafter, she approached the mysterious lady herself.

"I'm sorry my dear to have startled you. It was just that I was so excited to see you," she gently told the startled girl.

As she greeted her, she extended her bejeweled hands towards the stunned girl along with a towel.

"Here's your towel. Come by the fire and let me help you comb your hair."

Too surprised by her sudden appearance, the lady who was peacefully lounging in the bath previously, quickly reached out for the towel given to her to cover her nudity. After which, she timidly followed her to the interior of the room near the fireplace where a chair was placed by one of her ladies-in-waiting who was standing there eagerly awaiting for the next order that she will give them. Even from this distance, she could see that their eyes were beaming with utmost curiosity, curiosity towards this girl, whom they immediately concluded as Sasuke's love interest.

"Please my dear, do sit at the chair near the fire. I believe that you are cold. During this time of the year, the wind is harsh. One must be wary of catching a cold or worst flu."

As the silent girl was seated, Mikoto ordered her ladies to bring to her the kimonos that she laid out. Several of them come towards her, each clutching a kimono of different color yet astounding qualities.

"Which among these kimonos would you like to wear, my child?"

Still baffled, the girl just stared at her and only flickered her gaze to the kimonos raised by the ladies-in-waiting.

Mikoto sensing her hesitation did the decision for her.

"Ah I think this one will suit you the best. Will this do for you, my dear?"

At this the nervous girl only nodded as her sign of acquiescence, without even bothering to look at which kimono was chosen for her.

And once it was settled, the ladies-in-waiting immediately flocked towards her and she was helped into the chosen kimono. It turns out, that Mikoto had chosen for her an emerald green Kimono.

"I thought this one would bring out the greenness of your eyes. And seeing it now, I was indeed right. I hope you do like it. " She beamed towards her. And then she let the girl sit once again so that she can fix her hair.

"There, there my dear. Let me comb your hair."

At her words, one of her ladies-in-waiting came towards her and brought a jade comb, which Mikoto immediately used to comb her silky locks.

"Your hair is certainly very unique. I have never seen such hair as this color in the Fire Kingdom. But don't worry, it is definitely silky and beautiful."

"Thank you milady," was the girl's timid reply.

Hearing her voice, Mikoto smiled. It was a good thing. She was beginning to fear that she was mute.

"May I know your name, my dear?"

"Sakura, milady."

"Sakura." Mikoto repeated. "That name suits you very well. You hair in particular reminds me of that flower that blooms during the spring."

And to this Sakura did nothing but silently accepted the lady's compliment.

"And would you tell me where and how did you met my son?"

"Your son milady?"

"Yes my dear, my son?" Mikoto reiterate for Sakura's sake.

Taken aback by this new information, Sakura was having doubts about it. Clearly, this wonderful lady could not possibly be the mother of that cruel man who subjected her into this brutality.

"I am not sure, if he is your son milady. I only know that he has hair and eyes as black as the night."

"You just described most of the man in my family. But yes, my Sasuke has that very same description," Mikoto laughingly corrected her.

"I only know of this lord. I am sorry milady, but I am not really well informed about your son. I can only guess that he is a high-ranking lord in this land, and that he belongs to this land's ruling family."

"Are you telling me, my dear that you don't know who my son is?" Mikoto asked askance.

Sakura was startled by Mikoto's bewilderment and most definitely scared that she had angered this lady, immediately she tried to placate her.

"I am sorry milady. Truly I do not know him at all. I am greatly sorry if that offends you."

Mikoto was obviously stunned by this news. A female who doesn't know one of her sons, that is most certainly something. Clearly this is even more interesting than she had thought.

"Oh no my dear. You don't offend me at all. It is just a surprise to me that there is a female in this kingdom who doesn't know about the prince."

In fact this made her even happier that she already is. That this Sakura is not just here for whatever gain she could get form her son and the fact that she is not aware of her son's true identity clearly speaks for it. And she is beginning to like this girl even more. Yes, she is really fitting for her son. The thought of them being together is making her giddy with excitement.

"Prince?" said Sakura in barely a whisper, which Mikoto was only able to catch because she was beside the girl.

"Yes, Prince. Sasuke, my son is a prince of this realm."

If Sakura was surprised that Mikoto was the mother of her captor, this time she is beyond alarmed by this distressing knowledge. And instinctively, she tried to move away from the gentle lady in a gesture that seems like she is trying to protect herself against the harm that this somehow, ironically, wonderful lady, might bring upon her.

Seeing her odd reaction, Mikoto was perplexed as to why she seems suddenly afraid of her. Thus she tried to reach out towards hers.

"My dear, is something wrong? Did something happen?" she asked soothingly.

But despite her kind words, Sakura just shied away from here even more. And this time, Sakura can sense that Mikoto is becoming alarmed by her unusual reaction and that she really is beginning to suspect that something is absolutely wrong.

"Please my dear, whatever is troubling you I will try to help you. Do not be afraid of me," Mikoto gently told her.

Luckily, Sakura was able to calm herself. Her feelings of hope were immediately becoming bleaker and bleaker. Having met this kind lady, she thought that she might be able to find a way to ask for help in her dire predicament. However, this was not supposed to be. What is even more dreadful is that, she is becoming scared of this lady.

If she was her captor's mother, whom she told her his identity was Prince Sasuke, then there is absolutely no reason why she would help her.

Despite that, when the lady touched her, her clairsentience ability led her to decipher this lady's aura, and that despite her relation to this Prince Sasuke, she is most certainly sure, that she has a kind heart.

Mikoto immediately sensed that something was definitely out of place. There was definitely something that is not right in the conclusions that she has deduced.

And the only way to figure it out is to question Sakura. But looking at her, whose demeanor has shifted from that of apprehension to terror, it will be difficult to fish out the answer from her. And it will be even more difficult with her ladies around. And so she nodded her head to the direction of the door to her ladies.

Getting the meaning to her silent command, the ladies silently move out of the room, but she did not miss the crest fallen look in their faces, knowing that they won't be able to hear first hand the information that their lady will fish out from this girl, Sakura.

As soon as the doors closed behind, Mikoto pulled up a chair and sat down, facing Sakura.

Sakura refused to look at her. Her trembling hands were folded together in her lap and she stared at them intently.

This time, Mikoto was given plenty of time to study Sakura, to actually observe beyond what is in the surface, beyond her beautiful appearance. Despite her refusal to look at her, as she looked at her eyes, she saw sadness etched upon them.

A couple of minutes passed, when Sakura finally looked at her. And this time Mikoto directly asked her what she really wanted to know.

"Who are you Sakura?"

Sasuke entered his room to discover that his captive was sitting at the edge of his bed; freshly bathed and somehow recovered from the ordeal he put her through.

He smiled, when he saw her trying to cover a tiny jump from the alarmed of his entry as the door slammed. She wordlessly scampered across the room and far onto the other edge of the bed.

He entered his room, and did not acknowledge her, and carelessly began shedding his clothes. His servant promptly appeared at the door, wordlessly helping his master to prepare for his bath.

Sasuke then proceeded to his bathroom, and climbed into the marble tub. His servant stood above him with bottles of scent. Half closing his eyes, Sasuke stared up at him with a scowl. And hence, he followed his line of sight, only to be even more irritated when he saw him looking admiringly at his captive.

"Juugo, the scents. Are you out of your mind?"

Unpredictably, Juugo dumped the bottled scent over his head carelessly. At this, Sasuke howled in amazed protest.

"What is your problem, Juugo! Get the hell out of here before I flay you alive!"

Juugo, with startled surprise, immediately gained his alertness but not without glancing curiously at the angst-ridden lady who was at the far side of the room, ducked out of the room, before his master could do of his promised punishment.

For a moment, Sasuke sat in the steam, thinking of nothing but the tensions the water eased away. But he could not quell either his restlessness or irritation, and he found his eyes turning toward his lady prisoner – cowering and nervously apprehensive, he was sure, at the far edged of the room.

He smiled suddenly. "Lady," he commanded, his eyes lazily half closed, "I wish you to scrub my back."

She made no reply but just sat still and cowered even more.

After a few seconds of his command was unheeded, he raised dripping and walked to the edge of the room so quietly which frightened the lady even more. He picked her up bodily in one smooth, fluid motion.

His action earned him a look of stunned surprise in her green eyes. Her fingers unknowingly dug into his chest in an effort to free herself from him.

"Lady," he said cuttingly, "when I command you, I expect you to promptly obey it. Do you understand me?"

And then he smirked at her, "Since you do not care to scrub my back, therefore, I shall do you the honor that which you deny me."

Sakura could not dislodge herself from him and one glance at her cold onyx eyes started her shivering with alarm. She had witnessed his perverse wrath against her. And she knows that she cannot fight him. And even if she could, there was little time for her to do more than just to utter a single word of protest, "No!" before she found herself dropped in the tub.

She grabbed desperately at the slippery edges of the marble tub to balance herself but the dripping, naked and powerful presence of her captor halted her. "How remiss of me," he muttered, catching her wrists with his hand as he hunched down beside the tub, "I can't scrub your back when there is cloth upon it, can I?"

"No! Please stop milord!" Sakura cried desperately as he held her with one hand while the other ripped apart her new kimono. He released her wrist as he fully discarded her torn clothing. "Sit still, lady," he said softly, his eyes bright and full of mockery.

She struggled briefly with him, attempting to stand. But that only brought her nude and wet body colliding with his. And as she shuddered when her nipples scraped against his chest and her thighs were met by his vital masculinity. Without any way out she sank her body into the tub as if the water will hide her nudity.

He reached between her up thrust knees to burrow for the soap and cloth and she jumped with a gasp.

"Relax, milady," he murmured, his voice a low whisper with that ever-underlying taunt.

She felt him move behind her, sweep her hair into one hand as he soaped her shoulders with the other. But more than his touch on her, she felt his presence, the tension radiating from his body. She could sense each little flicker of movement within him, each nuance of muscle play.

She wound her fingers over the rim of the tub, holding on as if her life depends on it.

She is getting confused. She was finding it impossible to fight, to retaliate, to move. She couldn't think; it as if her mind were being lulled as well as her senses with the motion and touch and scent of the man who had mercilessly tortured her.

He did not know if he was goaded by a god or a demon, whether he wish to cherish her or punish her. He deduced that it was probably because of the wine the just recently consumed which was making his inability to think properly. But the rational part of his mind was telling him that it was most certainly not the wine that was pushing him to ravish her, it was most certainly her incomparable beauty.

The pink locks with his hand felt like silk. So did the flesh of the ivory column of her long neck. He cupped his hand in the water to sluice it over her shoulders; then again retrieved the soap to rubbed it over her spine. Her back was slender, tuck deeply at the waist, dimpled beneath the water's edge at the top of her buttocks. He silently laved the soap over her, feeling her shivering beneath his caressing fingers. He leaned low to plant his lips against her nape, grazing it lightly with is teeth. She went rigid but the shivering continued. He saw the knuckles of her long slender fingers grow white over the edge of the tub, and he moved his lips closer t her ear, his breath a caress that brought about a new spasm of shivers.

"Yield to me, lady and you shall not be hurt that much."

Still behind her, he slipped his hands beneath her arms and raised her, soaping her back again, the dropping the soap as he splayed his fingers over her shoulder and massaged her ivory flesh, moving ever downward to cradle her buttocks and keep the sensuously caressing massage at a fluid flow.

He was filled with uncontrollable desire. Yet he somehow tried to maintain a sense of order this was evident in his precise and calculated action.

He touched his lips to her neck again, and then moved them slowly down the entire length of her spine, his tongue flicking gently at each part of her he could grasp. He shifted his hands to encompass her hips, and knelt, leaning his chest against the tub to nip lightly the shadows of her dimples and the firm ivory cheeks below them.

"Stop. Please stop." She gasped her voice barely audible. He felt the beautiful play of her hip and bone as she tried to twist away from him.

"Please…." She whispered.

Her voice invoked pleasure into his body and a triumph for he knew that she was desperately trying to ignore him, to badly remain still and indifferently endure his unwanted ministrations. And yet, she could not for he has somehow evoked the stirrings of passion and sensuality in her. Perhaps, her stay with him might not just be for pain alone, perhaps passion as well.

He rubbed the soap higher up her leg, taking his massive sweeps as high as the flesh of her inner thigh, where he left off, and rising to bring it over her belly upon the flat midsection. And then with both hands he began to massage her breasts, cupping the weight and fondling slowly in a circular pattern, his thumbs grazing the suds over her nipples.

She remained still, her fingers clutched into her palms, a pulse tickling madly at the base of her throat. He gazed into her face as he leisurely held her breasts, feeling the erotic rise of her nipples. Her eyes were still wide, glazed, her jaw tightened but her lips parted, as if she would issue a plea again but could not.

He leaned closer and touched his lips to her. She allowed him to do so, as if mesmerized, then, at the touch, tried to twist away. He brought his powerful fingers around her neck, holding her still as he bent his head, parting her mouth with his, driving deeply into the moist depths with his tongue. A tiny sound escaped her, but his lips were too sure, too demanding, for her to do anything other than be swept along in the tide. As he held her, he moved his hand over her breast, gliding the soap downward again, his hand massaging the silken flesh between her legs. A sound, a gasp, a moan, a protest, broke into his ravaging mouth, but he continued is massage, his fingers probing surely between her legs to have her most tender flesh.

Only then did her hands desperately clutch about his shoulders. He was sure they did so in her effort to stand and fight him with a strength rendered useless in the muscles of her thighs.

He broke his kiss, dipping to cup water and sluice it quickly over her body, aware that she braced herself with her hands on his shoulders even as she tried to plead with moist and swollen lips. No sound came from her attempts.

He lifted her, wet into his arms, and carried her to the bed. He laid her down, gazing upon her, stunned and brilliant emerald eyes, her full ivory mounds with her crests grown hard, her smooth lean belly, her shadowed hip bones, her beguiling triangle that seemed to promise the greatest riches held in modesty beneath, at her long silken, lithe and shapely legs…

And there for now. . . Please bear with me people. Please. . . I hope you will appreciate this.

I wish I could write as fast as I can, and yes this time I will not promise you anything. But this is what I can only say; I will definitely finish this story. Sorry, for grammatical errors and all unintended errors. And yes, I definitely need a beta.

Thank you. Please review.